Specialized pig farrowing facilities have come into common use by pig farmers. Examples of such facilities are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,217,859; 4,252,082; 4,348,986; and 2,255,806. Commercial units are available from DPC, Inc., U.S. 421, P.O. Box 149, Delphi, Ind., 46923. Such facilities commonly employ a number of adjacent crates wherein the sow is confined to a central area and the piglets are free to move into adjacent areas sometimes called creep areas on either side of the sow area.
The piglets as they are weaned eat solid, pelletized feed and are provided with liquid (which supplier is sometimes called a medicator, since the liquid often includes diluted medication). The feed medicator is commonly hung from the front or rear wall of the crate and the feed pellets placed in a shallow tray in the crate. Further, the side or creep areas are provided with a heater, often an electric heater mat laid on the floor, to provide a desired warm area for the piglets away from the sow. This arrangement can lead to unsanitary conditions occurring in the crates with solid food being spilled onto the floor and mixed with the piglets' excretion and/or the piglets excreting into the food tray. There, thus, is a need for a more sanitary way of feeding and medicating the piglets and for limiting the opportunity for food to be spilled onto the floor of the areas occupied by the piglets.
Another disadvantage of the prior systems is the need for frequent manual cleaning and refilling of the dry feed tray with the accompanying labor costs and inconvenience.